CCSF advances multidisciplinary research and cultivates
innovative collaborations within and beyond Cornell
to foster a sustainable future for all.
"The challenges facing our world are great. The opportunity for action is now. And the agent of positive change—perhaps more than ever before in our history— can be Cornell."
—David Skorton
The CCSF was created in the fall of 2007 by the Office of the Provost, following a multiyear, cross-campus dialogue on energy and sustainability. In a time of widespread retrenchment in higher education, sustainability is one of the few areas of real growth. The reason is simple: the world faces serious challenges for which traditional scientific and scholarly excellence is necessary but not sufficient. Problems related to energy, the environment, and economic development are interdependent and interconnected, transcending individual disciplines. The science and engineering needed to develop clean technologies cannot be separated from the ecological study of Earth's integrated human and natural systems or from the social science of human behavior and well-being.
Progress in sustainability research requires not only new ways of thinking and organizing, but also must integrate researchers with practitioners. CCSF therefore supports problem-oriented research and external partnerships to achieve important discoveries with tangible, realworld impact. We catalyze new intellectual collisions that spark discovery and real progress for humanity. See our 2008 Annual Report for a summary of our first year's accomplishments.
CCSF Initiatives
Our research programs and activities are established in two major ways: The first is direct stimulation from the CCSF and Cornell leadership when we observe a confluence of strengths and external opportunities, such as impending RFPs, potential partnerships, and faculty hiring and retention. The second is through an internal competition for seed funding, which leads to workshops that explore challenges and priorities or to new research collaborations. These and other approaches to establishing cross-disciplinary teams and collaborations are summarized below:
- Academic Venture Fund: seeding workshops and research collaborations across campus
- Rapid Response Program: support for exciting new discoveries, ideas, or time-sensitive opportunities
- Topical Lunches: a grass roots forum to explore potential collaborations on sustainability topics
- Strategic Faculty Hiring in Sustainability: CCSF facilitates strategic faculty hiring across the three thematic areas: Energy, Environment, and Economic Development.
- Sustainability Proposal Support: timely assistance for new Cornell teams proposing sustainability research programs in response to calls for proposals
- Presidents Climate Commitment: support for groups researching directly applicable topics
Faculty Directors and Staff
The CCSF is led by a team of four tenured faculty and two academic staff members. The director and three associate directors serve on a part-time basis, in addition to their teaching and research, while the Center's executive director and partnerships director are full-time administrators. Two staff members, the web and communication manager and an administrative assistant, complete the full-time roster. Additional part-time staff assist the Center in carrying out its sustainability mission.
The CCSF has its offices in 200 Rice Hall on Tower Road, near the center of campus.
Faculty Advisory Committee
CCSF is guided by a Faculty Advisory Committee, representing researchers from across campus.
Related Campus Groups
CCSF stimulates connections and synergies among sustainability research efforts across Cornell. This page links to other Cornell centers, institutes, and offices involved in sustainability research.